Brussels, Dec 30, (dpa/GNA) – NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, has pleaded for additional arms deliveries to Ukraine.
“It may sound like a paradox, but military support for Ukraine is the fastest way to peace,” the Norwegian told dpa in an end-of-year interview.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, had to be convinced that he would not achieve his goal of taking control of Ukraine.
Then, Stoltenberg argued, there could be a “negotiated peaceful solution ensuring, that Ukraine prevails as an independent democratic state.”
Stoltenberg also made clear that he considers the recent Ukrainian attacks on military targets in Russia to be perfectly legitimate.
“Every country has the right to defend itself – also Ukraine,” he said.
The Ukrainian attacks must be seen in context, he explained.
This includes the massive Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, aimed at depriving Ukrainians of water, heating and electricity in winter, the NATO secretary general said.
On the question of whether, in his view, it would also be OK to provide Ukraine with medium-range missiles, Stoltenberg said there was “an ongoing dialogue between allies, and with Ukraine on the specific systems.”
He also pointed out that NATO allies, had already supplied Ukraine with long-range weapon systems in the past. For example, HIMARS missile launchers, long-range artillery and drones.
GNA